Harikrishna climbs to No.1 in Biel Chess Tournament

Indian Grand Master Pentala Harikrishna has proved his master class when he had a tie with Czech GM David Navara in the 7th round which is happening on 50th Biel Chess Festival. He is now tied in joint first position and has got better chances to finish the tournament with a high, probably the Championship itself.

“It was an equal game and we had to repeat moves before we decided to end the game as a draw,” Harikrishna who is hailing from Guntur said after finishing the game with a tie.

So far, Harikrishna has had a fruitful tournament with two wins and five draws after seven rounds which saw the GM from India unbeaten after seven rounds which itself is a proud moment for India. Harikrishna is however tied up with three other GMs and hence with two more rounds to go, one has to wait and see as to how the games unfold which may turn around the tables and fortune.

Harikrishna who is now at World No 20 had played with black pieces and started with a defensive mode which eventually ended in a draw after 24 moves. Prior to this game, he was at No.2 in the tournament. Each one tried to outsmart but ended up repeating their moves thrie before they agreed to settle down for a tie.

The next game will play a vital role since he will take on former two-time FIDE World Chess Champion & Ukranian Grand Master Ruslan Ponomariov which would probably be the decider considering the supremacy of the opponent. This is a 10-man round-robin tournament where each player has to face other player once.